Heartstrings
by PeetasAndHerondales
Summary: Katniss only rode into the castle to slay King Snow, but when she finds a certain enslaved prince, she realizes that she cannot leave him there. For the Week Four Dirty December Challenge, Forbidden or May/December Romance.


_**A/N- **__This is for the Week Four Dirty December Challenge, Forbidden Romance. I'm not sure if I fulfilled the challenge correctly, but I wanted to try something different. Enjoy!_

* * *

I wanted revenge. It was the only thought that passed through my mind as I rode towards the castle, full speed on my horse. I inhaled and exhaled rapidly, Gale riding beside me and darting quick glances at me every few seconds. He had agreed to come with me, but part of me wondered if it was because he really wanted to avenge Prim's death, or if he just wanted to get rid of all of the anger and hatred that he had held towards the kingdom for so long. Either way, we were planning on killing King Coriolanus Snow, whatever the cost. It was most likely a suicide mission.

We stormed through the castle doors before the guards could stop us. Everything turned into chaos as they tried to hold back our attacks, but Gale and I were the best archers in the land. Nevertheless, we could not ignore the fact that we were highly outnumbered, and we had foolishly overestimated ourselves.

"Cease this madness immediately!" King Snow exclaimed as we were captured by the guards, shoving us off our horses and taking them away from our sight. "What do we have here?" he asked as he approached us carefully, the guards holding our arms behind our backs. "Have I received a visit from the famous Mockingjay? How enchanting. I have heard so much about you."

I spat on the ground. "We came here to kill you for ordering the murder of innocent children," I spat.

"Ah, but they're not all dead," he pointed out calmly, raising a thick white eyebrow in amusement. "You see, rebel commoner, getting rid of peasant children every once in a while keeps the population in check, and the people in fear of disobeying," he explained. "But killing them all would make them lose all hope and rebel, and so we allow some to live."

"You disgust me," Gale seethed as I cursed in agreement.

"Take them to the cellars!" he ordered as the guards began pushing us away, but not before my eyes caught hold of something unexpected.

Queen Alma was notorious for keeping sex slaves under her command, and not just any sort of sex slaves, either. No, they were all prince and princesses serving their time to the powerful kingdom of Panem in order to bring honor to their royal family. But it wasn't until today that I was able to witness this for myself. One of them was a delicate blonde, beautiful blue-eyed boy who instantly captured my attention.

"You worthless creature! Pick that up, you clumsy fool!" Queen Alma screeched at him as he bent down to pick up the loaf of bread he had just dropped. It was absolutely typical for Queen Alma to be more worried about punishing her servants than the fact that her castle had just been attacked.

"Haymitch! Paddle him, I don't think Prince Peeta has learned his lesson yet," she spat cruelly as an older man produced a paddle, holding the boy with the bread upside down by the ankles and spanking him hard for all to see.

I gasped at the sight, noticing how red and welted his buttocks were. He was completely bare, as the rest of the servants were, but even as they put him down, I could see that his penis remained erect, his hands clasped obediently behind his neck. And, as they pushed me out of the way, my gaze met his long enough to see his sweet smile beneath his tearful eyes and flushed cheeks. It tugged at my heartstrings in a way I couldn't even begin to comprehend.

Gale and I were locked into separate cellars, thrown in cruelly by the royal guards. "I hope you rot in there!" One of them shouted at Gale.

"I think this one should be one of Queen Alma's servants," the other one said as he pointed at me, and I scowled at them as they chuckled.

"But she's a mere filthy rebel, and a sorry one at that!" the first guard responded, smirking at me.

"Don't you dare say such things about Katniss! Once we find our way out of here, you'll pay," Gale threatened them as he gripped the prison bars angrily.

"I highly doubt that you will be able to escape this prison before you're lynched. We will be standing outside the entrance," the guards informed us as they walked out, leaving us alone to wallow in our misery.

"That went well," I groaned.

"Did you see how many servants she had, though? There was at least ten of each gender!" Gale exclaimed.

"Do you reckon she has affairs with them all?" I asked curiously.

Gale rolled his eyes. "Well of course, she does, Catnip. I bet the king doesn't get left out, either."

I made a gagging noise, making him snicker. "How are we going to escape this wretched cellar?" I asked, changing the subject quickly. I didn't want to be reminded of Prince Peeta.

"That's a good question…they took most of our weapons, but I think I may still have a pocket knife in my boot," he said as he dug into his boot before taking it out. "Ah, here it is! This shall do," he said.

I grinned, "Gale, you are brilliant," I praised him as he began picking the lock on his cellar. He was out in seconds, and he snuck out quietly and took the key ring that was hanging on the wall.

"Be quiet," he whispered. "You open the door and I'll knock them down," he instructed as he unlocked my door.

"But the main door is probably locked as well," I hissed as I slid out of the cell.

"Yes, but one of these keys will probably work on that door," he rolled his eyes, handing me the key ring.

"Oh, right." I took it as we snuck towards the door, where I began trying each key on the ring as quietly as I could. We heard coughing and shuffling from outside where the guards were standing, and soon I was able to unlock it.

I launched it open quickly as Gale launched himself at the two guards who had their backs to us, knocking one down as I kicked the other one on the head. Once they were both down, we dragged them slowly inside the cellar and locked them inside an individual cell. "There, now they can get a taste of their own medicine," Gale spat as he hid their keys in his tunic.

"Let's go," I urged him as we left the prison, tiptoeing out into the dark corridor until we reached a door.

"All right, I think this is the door that leads to the great hall, and it is full of guards. Any ideas?" Gale turned to me.

"I think we should find another way out," I suggested, shrugging.

"Me too. Let's keep going, I think I saw another door on the other side of the corridor before they dragged us into the cellar."

I nodded and followed him until we reached the last door. Gale took out the keys that he had stolen from the guards until he found one that unlocked it. He cracked it open slowly, poking his head in and turning to me with a brief nod when he noticed that the coast was clear. We snuck into the empty room in front of us as I closed the door behind me. "What is this place?" I croaked in horror.

"I think it's the torture chamber," Gale breathed.

I shook my head, "No, I think it's more than that. I think this is where they punish the Queen's servants."

Our eyes were wide as we took in our surroundings. There were chains and cuffs hanging on the walls and dried blood splattered all over the floor. Leather whips and wooden paddles lay here and there, and there were a couple of other strange objects I couldn't make sense of. A wooden stool sat beneath a wall handle.

"But I don't understand, I thought that they were not allowed to make them bleed?" Gale frowned in question.

"Unless they really misbehave…I don't know," I shuddered. I was suddenly afraid for Prince Peeta, and I had no idea why. I didn't even know him, but he had smiled at me and now I felt tied to him. It was a strange sensation. I felt like I couldn't leave him here. If I did, I wouldn't really ever leave this place. Not really. I would be stuck here forever, trying to find my way out.

"There's another door over there, perhaps it's unlocked," Gale suggested as he made his way across the room. I followed him, and sure enough, this one was unlocked, but as he cracked it open an inch, we heard sounds emanating from outside and we peeked in through the crack.

I gasped. It was the queen's chamber, and Prince Peeta was there. He was there, and he was crying as the man known as Haymitch continued to paddle his overly flushed bottom. But he wasn't making any noise, and I watched him as silent tears escaped from his deep blue eyes while Queen Alma watched from her seat, pleased. "There now, we won't make any more mistakes, now will we?" she asked him as Peeta shook his head quickly, his lips tightened.

"My Lady, he's beginning to bleed," Haymitch informed her.

"Stop paddling him, then. Come here, Prince Peeta," she beckoned him as Haymitch released him, his hands tied by a rope behind his back.

"So clumsy," she shook her head sadly at him as she pat his cheek softly. Prince Peeta smiled at her sadly, his head bowed in resignation.

"I try so hard to please you, My Lady," he replied softly, his voice soft and velvety.

"I know you do, and you are my favorite; that's why I must be hard on you," she soothed him. "Not only are you an excellent lover, but you are an ingenious baker and an extremely obedient and faithful servant. However, we must keep working on your serving skills if we want to set you as an example for the others."

"Yes, My Lady," he answered compliantly.

My stomach tightened as I watched the queen in disgust, bile rising up in my throat from the thought of her lying with Prince Peeta. He was so young, much younger than the queen, perhaps somewhere around my age. Gale scrunched up his nose at the whole scenario as Haymitch brought in a nurse, who hurriedly began treating Peeta's sore buttocks. He winced, and the queen made an offhand comment about how sensitive he was. It was true, though. His skin was milky white and soft and pliable, but he was also well-built, especially around his limbs and abdomen. But when they made him bend down, his bottom and scrotum were in full view, and I found him rather vulnerable. I had no idea why I felt so much pity for him, but even when he walked around his erection, I could tell that he was in pain. Yet he smiled. He always smiled, and I could not fathom how or why he had such a genuine and sweet smile.

"My Lady, King Coriolanus requires your presence at the dining room if you are quite finished with your affairs," a page announced at the main entrance to her chambers.

"Very well then, let him know that I will bet there shortly," she dismissed the page curtly.

"Haymitch, go check on the rest of the servants, I want Prince Peeta to stay here and rest in my chambers until he recovers," she ordered him as the nurse finished treating Prince Peeta, who now laid across the bed on his stomach.

"As you wish, my lady," Haymitch replied bowing, taking the nurse with him.

"Rest here, my lovely," she told Prince Peeta gently, stroking the golden locks on his forehead. He smiled softly at her, like a small child being treated by his mother. She then left him, taking her guards with her as they shut the doors behind them.

"This is our chance!" Gale whispered excitedly.

I grinned at him as we waited a few seconds until we were sure that the queen and her guards were out of earshot. We then opened the door all the way and stepped into the chamber. Prince Peeta instantly perked his head up like a lost puppy and gazed at us with wide eyes. "What are you two doing here?" he cried out in shock, more curiously than accusingly.

"We're trying to escape, don't you dare give us away!" Gale hissed at him.

"I can help," he suggested as he tried to sit up.

"Really?" I asked hopefully. "How?"

He grinned at me, "I've lived here for years; I know my way around the castle. I know of a secret passage that you can use."

"What do you seek in exchange?" Gale asked him suspiciously.

"You can come with us," I blurted out before he replied.

"I can?" Prince Peeta asked hopefully.

"He can?" Gale frowned at me disapprovingly.

"Yes, but we can't leave until we finish our mission," I reminded him.

"You want to kill the king and queen," Prince Peeta said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes, we've mentioned that," Gale rolled his eyes impatiently. "Can we get going before we get caught?"

"You'll definitely need my help," Prince Peeta concluded as he slid off the bed uneasily, what with his hands still tied.

"Don't even think that we're untying your hands; we still need to make sure that you don't run off and betray us to your beloved queen," Gale glowered at him.

He shrugged. "Fine, this way then," Prince Peeta winked at me when Gale wasn't looking as we followed him into another room within the queen's chambers. I blushed despite myself.

"Are you always hard?" Gale complained, eyeing Prince Peeta's ever-present erection warily.

"Always," Prince Peeta affirmed calmly. "I have to be until someone relieves me," he smiled at me suggestively.

I bit my lip. I had no idea Prince Peeta was so confident, but I supposed it was to be expected. I decided not to comment on the matter, however. We soon reached the end of the chambers, and we were standing in front of a large bookshelf. "Now what?" I asked.

"This is a trapdoor," Prince Peeta explained. "You have to pull on one of the books to open it. If I remember correctly, you have to pull on the large blue book in the middle shelf over there," he pointed up with his chin, and Gale pulled on the large leather book that jutted out slightly, causing the bookshelf to creak and slide open slowly, revealing a dark stone passage that was dimly lit by a single torch on the wall.

I grabbed the torch as Prince Peeta stepped in first, followed by me, Gale taking the rear. The bookshelf closed behind us almost as soon as Gale had stepped in, leaving us in the disquieting frigid darkness of the damp passage. Prince Peeta seemed to know where he was going, however, as he followed the twists and turns as if he had made this trip hundreds of times, which he probably had. I wondered why he had never tried to escape before. Perhaps he had been afraid that he wouldn't get far.

Suddenly, he halted. "There," he looked up, and Gale and I followed his gaze to find a trapdoor on the low ceiling.

"Where does it lead?" I asked him.

"To the dining banquet, where the king and queen are dining at the moment," Prince Peeta smiled proudly.

"Perfect," I praised him.

"But are they alone?" Gale inquired skeptically.

"Of course not, perhaps there are servants, or perhaps not, but I can assure you that there are at least two guards watching them," Prince Peeta replied.

"That's what I thought," Gale snorted.

"Well, what did you expect? This is much better than our original plan; we would have been killed for treason if we hadn't escaped out of the cellar," I reminded him. "This is as easy as it is going to get."

"I'll check and see how many people are in there, then," Gale sighed as he gingerly pushed the trapdoor open a crack, since he was the tallest and it was easier for him to see.

He smiled, "Katniss, this is perfect, there's only one guard right now because the other one had to drag out a misbehaving servant," he breathed.

"Oh, if only we still had our bows and arrows!" I groaned.

"There's an entrance to the weapons room right over there," Prince Peeta nodded towards a wooden door a few feet to our right.

"Is it being guarded?" I questioned.

"From the outside," he shrugged. "No one ever goes in there at this time, though, unless it's an emergency, so I think you're clear for now."

"I think this is our lucky day, Catnip," Gale told me as he continued to inspect outside the trapdoor.

"Right, well let us not push our luck, then. I'll be right back; you two stay here," I ordered them as I treaded towards the other door.

It was exactly what I expected it to be and more. The weapons room was full of shiny armor, swords, canons, shields, and endless sets of bows and arrows. I was surprised to find that some of them were even labeled as poisonous. I quickly picked up two quivers full of poisonous arrows and two large bows, smiling delightfully to myself. I wanted to take more but we were under time constraints and this would have to do.

"Here you go, Gale, you shoot first," I said when I had returned, handing him a bow and quiver. He nodded solemnly as he settled the quiver on his back and took out an arrow. He tested the string, pulling it back a few times before placing the arrow on the nock and aiming carefully. I prepared my own arrow, trying to adjust my strength with the firmer bowstring.

Gale released his arrow, and I knew that he had hit his mark because everything ensued into chaos as we suddenly heard the queen scream. "I got Snow in the throat," Gale said quickly as he took out another arrow and shot it.

"Let me do it!" I demanded.

"I got the guard, but you better hurry if you want to shoot the queen. I shoved him aside and peeked out of the trapdoor, where guards were already streaming in through the door. The queen was flailing her arms desperately and screaming like a banshee. I didn't even think about it. I aimed at her neck, inhaled slowly, and released the arrow on my exhale. She stopped screaming and started choking on her own blood as she collapsed. I smiled. The guards went insane, and I snuck back inside the trapdoor as if nothing had happened. "I killed the queen," I notified my companions.

"Well done," Gale nodded.

"Did they see you?" Prince Peeta asked me, eyes wide in alarm.

"I don't think so, but we need to get out of here fast," I insisted.

He nodded as he tried to lead us away as fast as he could, but it was difficult for him since his arms were tied and then there was that uncomfortable erection of his. "Here, let me untie you," I offered as I turned to Gale for his pocket knife.

"No, don't tear it; we may need it later," Gale told me. I groaned and began untying Prince Peeta as fast as I could. Once he was released, he began walking a little faster, and soon led us towards a large wooden doorway.

"This leads to the stables," Prince Peeta said as he pushed it open, making sure that the coast was clear before hustling us in.

We noticed that our horses were still there, surprisingly, and that most of the other stables were empty. "They're already searching for us," I gasped.

"We better hurry, then," Gale said gruffly as he mounted his black stallion, Galone.

"Prince Peeta can ride Everlark with me," I said as I mounted my white mare, helping Peeta up behind me. He wrapped his arms around me, pressing his bare torso against me, his hardness poking at the small of my back, but I didn't mind. He was probably sore and uncomfortable after his spanking.

"Let's go!" Gale shouted as he began riding full speed, with us only a few feet behind him.

We could hear a large commotion behind us, and it didn't take us long to realize that the castle was in flames. There had obviously been an upheaval, and I was grateful for the distraction. "Gale, I think we may just make it!" I shouted at him as I caught up with him, Prince Peeta holding on to me tightly.

Gale turned and grinned at me triumphantly, his gray eyes bright and alive while the flames reflected on them, his grin spreading over his bushy brown beard. He turned back towards the road and headed towards the forest, which no one in this land knew better than us. He cackled madly. He laughed like a serial killer, but that was my best friend for you.

"Is he okay?" Prince Peeta whispered in my ear.

"Of course, he always laughs like this when he kills one of his enemies, Prince Peeta," I said casually.

"Oh. Right, well you don't have to refer to me as Prince; that's what the queen called me. You may simply call me Peeta."

"Very well, Peeta. I'm known as the Mockingjay around these lands, but you may simply call me Katniss. Gale calls me Catnip sometimes, but that's because he's a peasant. He's also known as Serial Killer Gale, or Grumpy Gale, but you can just call him Gale," I chattered on as we rode through my wonderful forest. Gale says I never smile except in the woods, but today I smiled a lot. I had finally avenged my little sister's death. She had not died in vain, and no innocent child would ever be murdered again.

"Excuse me for my intrusion, Katniss, but are you involved with Gale?" Peeta asked tentatively.

I laughed. "No, he's my best friend. He could be my brother, haven't you noticed?"

"I apologize, I just had to ask. I could not help but notice how beautiful you are. Why do they call you the Mockingjay?"

"Something about me singing and the birds stopping to listen…it's actually something I inherited from my father, who's no longer alive, sadly."

"I would love to hear you sing someday if that's all right," Peeta requested.

I blushed, "We'll see about that. Would you like us to take to you back to your castle? You must miss your family after all of those awful years of enslavement."

Peeta tensed behind me. "No. I never want to go back to my mother's castle again. She was worse than Queen Alma. I would like to stay with you, if you will allow it."

"I will allow it." I affirmed as we suddenly stopped in front of a hill.

"I'm going to my family's cabin to get Prince Penis here some clothes. Will you two wait here?" Gale asked us.

I nodded as Peeta chuckled behind me. Gale snorted and turned his horse around as he left. "That reminds me, you must be really sore; let's get off this horse," I told Peeta as I dismounted Everlark. Peeta had a little bit more difficulty with that, but he made an effort not to wince too much as I helped him off.

"Everlark is a nice horse," Peeta smiled as he patted her nose.

"She's a beautiful mare," I agreed. "But I don't think she'll be too upset if we get rid of that uncomfortable erection of yours in front of her," I said as I tied her to the nearest tree.

"Oh, Katniss, you don't have to, we've just met…"

I closed the distance between us and kissed him passionately, taking him completely by surprise. I don't know what it was about him, but I could not shake away my connection with the boy with the bread. Something stirred deep within me when I kissed him, and I could tell that he had done this numerous times—well, obviously—because his mouth instantly ravished mine back, his tongue delving deep within my throat as a fire began to consume me at every single tip of my being, resting in my bottom belly. It hungered me in a way I could not explain, and it did not take me long to take his erection in hand and palm it. He sighed in relief and he felt so hot and silky and throbbing between my fingers that it made me shiver. Wetness pooled between my legs as lay me down on the grass gently, one of his hands caressing my braid while the other one held himself up over me. I couldn't stand it anymore; I helped him tug off my weary clothing so that I finally lay bare beneath him.

"You are so beautiful, Katniss," He murmured reverently.

I didn't know what to say to my golden prince, so I kissed him again and splayed my legs open for him so that he could enter me easily. He slipped in and we both gasped in unison as he began rocking and swaying me gently, taking my pebbled nipples between his lush lips and sucking them in a way that made me arch my back for more. More, more, more, was all I could think of as he began to rock faster and our bare bodies began to sweat to combat the heated friction. Our breaths came out choked between frenzied kisses and gripping touches. My fingers hovered over the sensitive flesh of his bottom before rubbing it softly. He trembled and I knew he was close, and I felt myself tightening around him. His blue eyes were the same shade as the sky above us, and just as enthralling. I stroked his cheek and caressed the edge of his lip as he gazed at me deeply. He let go then, and the throaty, hoarse sounds that released from his throat made me come undone. He collapsed with his golden head on my neck, our bodies flushed with passion and sweat. I stroked his blond curls in contentment, threading my fingers affectionately in his damp hair.

A few moments passed. "I want us to try something," he suddenly suggested.

"What?" I asked. He stood up and searched for the rope I had taken from him earlier, finding it among my clothes.

He handed it to me. "I like having my hands tied up with the lady on top," he said so seriously that I couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you sure?" I asked him, then glanced down to see that he was hard once more. Was he ever flaccid? I could not help but wonder.

He lay down on his back and nodded, and I tied his hands over his head before slowly settling my hips over his awaiting manhood. I found myself to be just as ready as he. He watched my breasts bounce in fascination as I held him down and swiveled my hips, rotating them before bouncing on his length, easing steadily up and down. I shifted back and forth and drove him mad with the change of pace, but that was my goal. He breathed hard and fast and I gritted my teeth as I felt the heat between legs become more and more intense. He felt so unbelievably good inside me, the tip of his penis hitting just the right spots as I shifted my hips to rub his length over my swelling clit. I tightened my hands on his hips as I approached my climax, my eyes blurring as I looked down and became lost in the enchanted path that was the blonde tufts of hair on his lower belly. He moaned and raised his hips to slam against mine as I came, and he followed soon after, my walls milking his orgasm. Our bodies were pounding everywhere, our hearts pumping rapidly. "That was fantastic," I gasped in awe.

"I told you so," he grinned sheepishly as I dismounted him.

He looked up a few seconds later, once we had regained our breath, and drifted his gaze up to the sky. We sat up and he wrapped his strong arms around me. The sun was sitting low in the sky, preparing us for the night. "I love watching the sunset," Peeta whispered, fascinated. "It has a wonderful orange hue." I looked up at him, and he was smiling wider than ever.

"Is that your favorite color?" I asked him curiously.

"Yes," he breathed. "What's yours?"

"Green, like the forest," I pointed all around me.

"Will you sing?" he asked me again.

I hesitated, but then I began a soft tune known as the Valley Song. It was one I had learned at a very young age, and it was pleasant enough to sing to a lovely golden prince. Once I finished, I noticed him gaping at me. It was then that I realized that the forest had gone absolutely silent. The birds had stopped to listen.

He chuckled. "I used to think sunsets were the most captivating thing in the world until I met you," he smiled. Yet his smile held no trace of sadness in his eyes, only complete and total happiness. He seemed blissful, at peace. The sun was setting for both of us.

For once, I smiled back.


End file.
